After a one-year hiatus after a plane crash outside of Minden — and making a comeback by competing in his first race at the Reno Air Races —the Carson City pilot is preparing to fly "Feisty" in Thailand skies against 17 international professional pilots.

"With the truly world-class caliber of pilots going head-to-head for the title, it promises to be an exhilarating competition," he said.

From Nov. 17-19, Tumlin, 55, is contending for the Best Air Racing Pilot title in the Air Race 1 World Cup at U-Tapao airport — southeast of Bangkok — in his 1979 Cassutt IIIM named Feisty.

To ensure a fair competition between pilots, each plane must be built to a specific formula that covers most aspects of the race plane’s characteristics, including wing area, weight, and engine size.

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Decked out in a turbulent yellow, with illustrations of No. 52 and a scruffy black cat by the cockpit, Tumlin might be easy to spot in the tangled terrains.

"Flying it is like giving a cat a bath," he said. "She will bite and scratch you, but it's a smooth flying airplane."

His daughter, Sierra, will be by his side as crew chief; an element of success also comes in the designers, engineering teams and ground crew support in the pits.

To ensure a fair competition between pilots, each plane must be built to a specific formula that covers most aspects of the race plane's characteristics, including wing area, weight, and engine size.

"My biggest obstacle is flying as safe as I can," Tumlin said. "But at the same time, it's no different flying around the mountains. I've had good training."

His gained skills from Steve Temple, a long-time Air Force, airline, and racing pilot in Northern Nevada and California areas. Temple also will be racing in Thailand with Tumlin in his "Quadnickel" — also a Cassutt IIIM.

"Without the confidence, I wouldn't be doing this," Tumlin said. "I got a concussion from the crash and I thought I was done for."